# Paying homage...



## smokinsound (May 23, 2015)

On Memorial day, I though it would be appropriate for us to share some stories or pay respect to people in our lives who have influenced us greatly and have served in the US armed forces at some point.

My grandpa served in the USAF back in WWII. He was piloting a fighter when he was shot down by enemy forces. Luckily he survived the crash and was found by farmers who were in support of the US. They pulled him from the plane's rubble after holding their pitchforks to his head until they could identify him and ensure that he was not the enemy. Those farmers kept him safe until servicemen were able to recover him and get him home and return to his own farm where he spent the rest of his years happily married and away from war and violence. He's my hero.








Capt. Willis Lutz, USAF

Did one of your friends or family members serve? What is one thing they told you about their service that gave you a lot of respect for them? (Aside from enlisting.)


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## Champagne InHand (Sep 14, 2015)

I'll have to wait until Veteran's Day to get back to this thread. It deserves some responses, as we have all been effected, whether or not we know it or haven't even thought about it.


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## Champagne InHand (Sep 14, 2015)

I think it's about the time to start filling in this great thread starter that seemed to go unnoticed last year. 

My father, born in poverty and having his birth mom die as he was just a few weeks old, he was wet nursed and raised by an aunt and uncle, in the coal crevices of the Rocky Mountains. He along with a group of friends jumped on coal trains to enlist. In the Navy or Air Force as coal areas were off limits to the draft and any sensible person saw that going 9 miles into a mountain to chase coal veins was a fools errand. So they served during the Korean War period. 

Another was a good friend of dad's named Frank Brooksby. I got my first plane ride at 7, in his single engined Mooney. Frank flew B-17 Flying Fortresses over Germany in his early 20s. Crashed landed a few times but always brought his beat up plane back to the English coast. Frank saw an air show with us and this was the late 70s. Their was a functional B-17 in the show. The owner came out and met Frank. Knowing that he kept his crew as safe as possible and survived his tour of duty, in which many did not as daytime runs unaccompanied were almost suicidal, the owner asked Frank if he still had his pilots license and if he wanted to get back behind the controls of this huge aircraft once more. Of course Frank nearly fainted but up in the air they went. Very cool, at least in my book. My dad got through college with th GI Bill and became a Pharmacist all with 2 small children. Knowing these guys and other service buddies my dad served on Enewetak with during hydrogen bomb detonations has bettered my life. Frank taught me that you can manage almost all fear of it manages you. Good people for certain. 


I need to note that my father in law was drafted into Vietnam. In country just over 3 months he saw his best friend vaporized by a stolen claymore. 3 days later as he led soldiers over a fallen tree trunk that they were using for cover, to grab wounded Bon took a heavy machine gun round to the head. His buddies rallied as other platoons joined in to drive NVA forces back during the jungle skirmishes of late 1965. His son, my wife's brother served a tour with MPs in Bosnia and was on site with his unit within 8 hours of the WTC being hit by the passenger jets in 9/11. Considering they were based out of Bugfalo that's a mighty fast response time. Stayed in Manhattan for 2 full weeks at ground zero providing support and crowd control. More good people. 

I hope others chime in as we approach Veterans Day.


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## mikey85 (Nov 17, 2017)

I think cigarettes are not good for troop. But if it so then not a problem.


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## BudgetMinded (Nov 25, 2017)

The best way I think we can pay homage is to just get up an do the right thing when the call of action requires us to do the right thing.


Ideological and political differences do not justify being passive. We should not let our brothers and sisters suffers when we have an opportunity to help.


Sorry to get preachy, just shoot me


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